Prognostic nomogram for overall survival of elderly esophageal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy: a population-based analysis.

Background: As the population of elderly patients with esophageal cancer (EC) increases, it becomes more important to understand the prognostic factors. The aim of the present study is to identify prognostic factors among elderly (>60 years) patients with EC receiving neoadjuvant therapy.

Methods: Patients with EC (>60 years) receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) or chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were included and divided into a training group and a validation group.

Serve Coffee, Hold Clamps, Do Not Complain: Student Perceptions and Experiences Regarding Surgery.

Objective: To explore medical students' perceptions and experiences regarding the surgery clerkship and surgeons.

Design: Between November 2021 and February 2022, an anonymous prepost survey study was performed among 2 consecutive cohorts of medical students. The survey was taken 6 weeks prior to the surgery clerkship and repeated shortly after the surgery clerkship.

Non-invasive Temporal Interference Stimulation of the Hippocampus Suppresses Epileptic Biomarkers in Patients with Epilepsy: Biophysical Differences between Kilohertz and Amplitude Modulated Stimulation.

Medication refractory focal epilepsy creates a significant challenge, with approximately 30% of patients ineligible for surgery due to the involvement of eloquent cortex in the epileptogenic network. For such patients with limited surgical options, electrical neuromodulation represents a promising alternative therapy. In this study, we investigate the potential of non-invasive temporal interference (TI) electrical stimulation to reduce epileptic biomarkers in patients with epilepsy by comparing intracerebral recordings obtained before, during, and after TI stimulation, to recordings during low and high kHz frequency (HF) sham stimulation.

Working memory deficit in patients with focal epilepsy is associated with higher interictal theta connectivity.

Objective: Interictal cognitive disturbances are frequent in patients with focal epilepsies and the links with alteration of resting state brain oscillations are not well known. Changes in theta oscillations, may contribute to cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate whether changes in theta activity are related to cognitive disturbances.

Risk factors for readmission following esophagectomy and gastrectomy for cancer.

Introduction: Hospital readmission after surgery is a key quality indicator. This nationwide cohort study aimed to assess readmission rates following esophagectomy and gastrectomy for cancer and identify associated risk factors.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit (DUCA) for patients with esophagogastric cancer who underwent esophagectomy or gastrectomy with curative intent between January 2011 and June 2016.

Omentum preservation versus complete omentectomy in gastrectomy for gastric cancer (OMEGA trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Potentially curative therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer consists of gastrectomy, usually in combination with perioperative chemotherapy. An oncological resection includes a radical (R0) gastrectomy and modified D2 lymphadenectomy; generally, a total omentectomy is also performed, to ensure the removal of possible microscopic disease. However, the omentum functions as a regulator of regional immune responses to prevent infections and prevents adhesions which could lead to bowel obstructions.

Prolonged Time to Surgery in Patients with Residual Disease After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer.

Objective: To investigate whether prolonged time to surgery negatively affects survival, pathological outcome or postoperative complications in patients with histologically proven residual disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Summary Background Data: Historically, the standard time to surgery (TTS) has been six to eight weeks after completion of nCRT. The effect of prolonged TTS is gaining interest, with contradicting results on survival and surgical morbidity.

Systemic Treatment Strategies and Outcomes of Patients With Synchronous Peritoneal Metastases of Gastric Origin: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Palliative systemic treatment is currently standard of care for metastatic gastric cancer. However, patients with peritoneal metastases of gastric origin are often underrepresented in clinical studies due to unmeasurable radiologic disease. This study describes the systemic treatment strategies and outcomes in patients with peritoneal metastases in a nationwide real-world setting.

Interval Metastases After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer: A Multicenter Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Despite trimodality treatment, 10% to 20% of patients with esophageal cancer experience interval metastases after surgery. Restaging may identify patients who should not proceed to surgery, as well as a subgroup with limited metastases for whom long-term disease-control can be obtained. This study aimed to determine the proportion of patients with interval metastases after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and to evaluate treatment and survival.

Decision-making experiences of patients and partners opting for active surveillance in esophageal cancer treatment.

Objectives: This study explored the decision-making experiences of patients and their partners or primary caregiver who opted for experimental active surveillance (instead of standard surgery) for the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Methods: Seventeen couples participated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on couples' joint experiences as well as their individual experiences.

Pathways to epilepsy surgery in children with tuberous sclerosis complex-associated epilepsy.

Background: Previous studies showed the efficacy of epilepsy surgery in carefully selected children with epilepsy associated with tuberous sclerosis complex. However, how this selection is conducted, and the characteristics of the patients brought to surgery are still poorly described. By conducting a multicentric retrospective cohort study covering the practice of the last twenty years, we describe the paths leading to epilepsy surgery in children with epilepsy associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Heimdallr, Baldr, and Solarstein: designing the next generation of VLTI instruments in the Asgard suite.

High angular resolution imaging is an increasingly important capability in contemporary astrophysics. Of particular relevance to emerging fields such as the characterization of exoplanetary systems, imaging at the required spatial scales and contrast levels results in forbidding challenges in the correction of atmospheric phase errors, which in turn drives demanding requirements for precise wavefront sensing. Asgard is the next-generation instrument suite at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), targeting advances in sensitivity, spectral resolution, and nulling interferometry.

Overall survival after definitive chemoradiotherapy for patients with esophageal cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) is a potentially curative therapy for esophageal cancer. As indications for dCRT differ widely, it is challenging to draw conclusions on outcomes and survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate overall survival (OS) and recurrence patterns according to indications for treatment.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal metastases of gastric origin: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases is associated with a dismal prognosis. Normothermic catheter-based intraperitoneal chemotherapy and normothermic pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) are methods to deliver chemotherapy intraperitoneally leading to higher intraperitoneal concentrations of cytotoxic drugs compared to intravenous administration. We reviewed the effectiveness and safety of different methods of palliative intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Eastern versus Western countries: meta-analysis.

Objective: Locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma can be treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy or chemotherapy followed by oesophagectomy. Discrepancies in pathological response rates have been reported between studies from Eastern versus Western countries. The aim of this study was to compare the pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in Eastern versus Western countries.

Psychiatric complications following SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulations in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) in the epileptogenic regions is a therapeutic option for patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who may have or not indication for epilepsy surgery. The most common adverse events of RF-TC are seizures, headaches, somatic pain, and sensory-motor deficits. If RF-TC could lead to psychiatric complications is unknown.

Perioperative Chemotherapy for Gastro-Esophageal or Gastric Cancer: Anthracyclin Triplets versus FLOT.

The FLOT4-AIO trial (2019) showed improved survival with perioperative fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) compared to anthracyclin triplets in gastric cancer treatment. It is unclear whether these results extend to real-world scenarios in the Netherlands. This study aimed to compare outcomes of perioperative FLOT to anthracyclin triplets in a real-world Dutch gastric cancer population.

Art-based observational training for medical students and surgical residents in two Dutch museums.

Background: Art-based education is gaining interest in the medical field, particularly in specialties with a strong visual focus. Visual arts are increasingly used for the development of observational skills and social competencies. While content and objectives of art-based programs widely differ across medical faculties in the Netherlands, the diverse range of options underscore the interest in and the potential of this educational approach.

Impact of FDG-PET/CT and Laparoscopy in Staging of Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Cost Analysis in the Prospective Multicenter PLASTIC-Study.

Background: Unnecessary D2-gastrectomy and associated costs can be prevented after detecting non-curable gastric cancer, but impact of staging on treatment costs is unclear. This study determined the cost impact of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) and staging laparoscopy (SL) in gastric cancer staging.

Materials And Methods: In this cost analysis, four staging strategies were modeled in a decision tree: (1) FDG-PET/CT first, then SL, (2) SL only, (3) FDG-PET/CT only, and (4) neither SL nor FDG-PET/CT.

Modification of brain conductivity in human focal epilepsy: A model-based estimation from stereoelectroencephalography.

Objective: We have developed a novel method for estimating brain tissue electrical conductivity using low-intensity pulse stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) stimulation coupled with biophysical modeling. We evaluated the hypothesis that brain conductivity is correlated with the degree of epileptogenicity in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Methods: We used bipolar low-intensity biphasic pulse stimulation (.